Practice nurses and their 'lived experience' of clinical supervision

Increased workload in primary care and the advent of primary care groups means that practice nurses (PNs) are experiencing a profusion of changes. As a result, PNs have taken on board many new skills, and this has increased the demands and stresses made upon them. Accordingly, this study investigated 17 PNs' lived experiences of clinical supervision following a 4-day training programme. It adopted a hermeneutic, phenomenological method. Data were collected by means of semistructured interviews within a series of focus groups. The data from the focus groups underwent a thematic analysis, which induced an emerging theory comprising five key themes: (1) providing support (2) nurturing and growth (3) enhancing and enriching practice (4) encountering a new experience, and (5) engaging in intellectually challenging and demanding work. The findings indicated that the central theme of the PNs' experience of clinical supervision was that of 'providing support', in that, without the presence and application of support, the effectiveness of the other themes appears to be diminished. The findings additionally indicated a range of issues, discussed under the headings: practice, education, policy, and further research.